Brother, you smell good - 4

 

| BYSG | Do you want to touch it? | 4

Shen Yu and Xiao Xiong both felt guilty.

Especially Shen Yu, who was so guilty that his fingers curled up, leaving crescent-shaped nail marks on his palm.

Xiao Xiong laughed awkwardly and said, "It's nothing, just talking about some school stuff. What's that you’re holding?"

This kind of thing really shouldn't be found out by Cheng Mofei.

Fortunately, the topic was smoothly shifted. Cheng Mofei changed into his slippers, lifted up three portions of lunch, and said, "Old Sun isn’t coming back for lunch. I happened to pass by the canteen, and since you guys haven’t eaten yet, I packed some food for you. All three portions are the same, it’s on me."

Xiao Xiong took one portion from him, deeply touched.

You know, even in early September when it's so hot, people wouldn’t want to go downstairs to pick up takeout, let alone cross a river to go to the canteen for food—someone who brings lunch is practically worthy of being called "dad," and even more so if they’re treating.

Cheng Mofei's seat was right next to Shen Yu. He glanced at the spot next to him, which was neat and clean, then at Shen Yu, who was standing there in a daze, and carefully placed one portion of lunch on the table.

"Thanks, Brother Fei." Shen Yu had already relaxed.

As soon as his words fell, Xiao Xiong's voice of surprise rang from across the table: "Wow, it’s the braised pork from the second floor! I love you to death, Dad Fei!"

Cheng Mofei smiled and sat back in his seat. "I don’t have a son like you who eats so much."

Shen Yu also opened his lunch box, and as the rich scent of braised pork wafted toward him, his thoughts drifted to an unknown place.

Cheng Mofei was a kitchen killer, while Shen Yu had learned to cook from a young age and was pretty good at it.

After they started living together, Cheng Mofei couldn’t cook but never shirked his share of the housework. 

Once, he asked Cheng Mofei to buy some meat on his way back from work to make braised pork. Cheng Mofei, who had little experience, was tricked into buying bad meat. 

At that time, he was under a lot of work pressure and didn’t feel well physically. As he was cutting the meat, he started crying, which scared Cheng Mofei. 

He apologized for a long time, and then secretly practiced his cooking skills for a while, but he didn’t make much progress—he really didn’t have the talent for it.

Actually, he wasn’t the type to cry often; it was only after being with Cheng Mofei that he started to cry so easily.

He liked it when Cheng Mofei comforted him, but at the same time, he hated himself for being so dependent on him. He often felt insecure and threw little tantrums.

Now, after dying once, he wouldn’t be like he was before.

"Try it, I’m not sure if you'll like it," Cheng Mofei’s voice brought Shen Yu's thoughts back.

He realized that his junior really was like a little hamster—always dazed. He had been dazed when he fell this morning, dazed when he occasionally talked to him, and now, dazed again while eating.

Maybe some people just have that kind of personality, and Cheng Mofei didn’t think much more about it.

Shen Yu quickly picked up a piece of braised pork and some rice, stuffing them into his mouth one after the other, his cheeks puffing up, making him look even more like a hamster.

"It’s delicious," he mumbled through a mouthful.

Cheng Mofei smiled and lowered his head to pick up a bite for himself.

Since he was treating, he hadn’t sent the canteen’s menu to the two of them on WeChat today; he had just decided on the dishes and bought them directly.

After spending a year together in their freshman year, he had a pretty good idea of Xiao Xiong’s tastes, so he knew Xiao Xiong would definitely like it.

As for Shen Yu, he wasn’t sure, but braised pork was one of the canteen’s signature dishes, so it was definitely worth a try.

His little junior’s background was a bit pitiful, and he was so thin. When Cheng Mofei hugged him, he could feel the sharpness of his bones. He needed to eat well and gain some weight.

The braised pork was indeed tasty—rich but not greasy—and it came with some other vegetable dishes that complemented the meal perfectly.

Shen Yu sat there, eating seriously, but secretly opened his phone to sneak a look at Cheng Mofei’s WeChat Moments.

However, he quickly closed his phone and stopped looking.

The reason was simple—although Cheng Mofei's Moments weren’t set to be visible for only three days, and the content was interesting, Shen Yu had already curled up in Cheng Mofei's arms in the past, scrolling through his phone, so there was nothing new to see.

Turning off his phone, Shen Yu continued eating, his thoughts wandering as he reflected on everything that had happened today.

He really enjoyed thinking about all sorts of things while eating. After all, when his mind was idle, he might as well double up on the use of his time.

What he knew for sure—Cheng Mofei currently believed he was a straight man who was also homophobic.

So, Shen Yu couldn't easily reveal his sexual orientation for fear that Cheng Mofei would "fear him" and cut off any opportunity for deeper understanding. 

For now, he had to disguise himself as a straight man and stay close to Cheng Mofei, waiting for the right moment to act.

At the same time, he needed to figure out the reason for Cheng Mofei's homophobia.

He didn’t think Cheng Mofei would suddenly develop a homophobic attitude for no reason. If he were inherently homophobic, he wouldn’t have fallen for Shen Yu in the first place, let alone be entangled with him for seven years. 

There had to be a reason behind Cheng Mofei's homophobia, and why it was resolved later

However, Cheng Mofei had never told him, probably to avoid Shen Yu becoming overly sensitive and overthinking things.

Shen Yu felt somewhat frustrated.

If he weren’t so sensitive, Cheng Mofei wouldn’t have to be so cautious around him, and he wouldn’t be feeling so helpless right now.

Shen Yu sighed softly in his heart.

He would have to take things slow and understand it over time.

After all, they were living under the same roof, so it was easy to figure things out.

Once his thoughts were clear, Shen Yu finished his lunch completely, feeling satisfied as he patted his slightly bloated stomach. He quickly cleaned up the trash.

Cheng Mofei and Xiao Xiong were almost done eating as well.

The class group chat had mentioned that there would be a class meeting in the afternoon, and they could conveniently take the trash downstairs on their way out.

Remembering the interrupted topic when Cheng Mofei returned earlier, Shen Yu suddenly turned to Xiao Xiong and said, "By the way, Brother Xiao, the question you asked me earlier..."

"Mm?" Xiao Xiong was sitting with his legs crossed, a toothpick dangling from his mouth.

Shen Yu's tone was casual. "My answer is—yes."

Xiao Xiong finally understood, nodding knowingly and giving him an acknowledging glance.

He didn’t think Shen Yu looked like he could be gay.

Besides, there weren’t nearly as many gays around these days, right?

Cheng Mofei, who had been listening, interjected with curiosity. "What question?"

Shen Yu blinked, meeting his light brown eyes, and smiled as he replied with two words: "A secret."

He could lie to others, but didn’t want to deceive Cheng Mofei. If possible, he still didn’t want Cheng Mofei to know about this.

Xiao Xiong, ever understanding, happily chimed in, "It’s a secret between me and Xiao Shen, Brother Fei, so don’t be curious about it."

Cheng Mofei: "…"

A strange feeling of displeasure rose in Cheng Mofei’s heart.

His little junior was someone he had brought back, someone he had cared for all this time. He had only been away for a little while, so how had the bond between them grown closer? 

How did they have secrets with each other, yet he did not share them with him?

Cheng Mofei felt that this emotion was childish, something he couldn’t quite express, so he silently buried it deep inside.

After finishing lunch, Shen Yu took a short nap before heading to the classroom for the class meeting. 

Later, he went with some classmates to move books, collect his military training uniform, and also picked up a package. He was busy until evening before finally returning.

He was a bit directionally challenged, so just finding his way took quite a bit of time.

When he returned in the evening, Cheng Mofei was in the bathroom taking a shower. The sound of water from the bathroom made Shen Yu's mind wander a little.

Xiao Xiong was wearing headphones, playing a game. Shen Yu placed the package he had brought for him on his desk. Xiao Xiong, while shouting commands to his teammates, thanked Shen Yu.

Sun Xinghe had also returned. He was on the balcony video-calling his girlfriend, not bothered by the heat.

When he saw Shen Yu, he adjusted his glasses and nodded and smiled at him through the transparent glass door, which Shen Yu returned with a smile.

He actually knew Xiao Xiong and Sun Xinghe.

In his previous life, after he and Cheng Mofei got together, they met during a university roommates’ dinner part. Cheng Mofei had brought him along. 

Back then, Xiao Xiong had successfully lost weight and was much slimmer than now, and Sun Xinghe was already married to his current girlfriend.

Both of them were doing well.

There was a washing machine in the dorm, but it was in the bathroom, and since Cheng Mofei was taking a shower, Shen Yu had to wait for him to finish before he could wash his military training uniform.

The military training would officially start the day after tomorrow.

Remembering his experience from his first year in his previous life—getting lightly sunburned and suffering from heatstroke during military training—Shen-fresh university student-Yu, took out the sunscreen he had bought in advance and placed it in the corner of his desk.

Good-quality sunscreen wasn't cheap, but this time, he was determined to take care of his body and not treat it recklessly.

Then, he quickly locked away his body lotion, lip balm, and other items in the cabinet, being sneaky, as if afraid someone might see.

There was nothing unusual about using sunscreen for military training; almost everyone used it. 

But with the body lotion and lip balm tucked in together, it definitely didn’t look like something a straight man would do, so he had to be careful not to let anyone notice anything.

Drinking plenty of water to stay hydrated was the same.

After locking the cabinet, Shen Yu gulped down half a glass of water.

Just as he was halfway through, the bathroom door suddenly opened. Shen Yu's gaze instinctively drifted over, and the next second, he coughed uncontrollably.

Cheng Mofei walked out holding a T-shirt in his hand, his upper body completely bare and only wearing a pair of shorts. He walked out boldly, not caring at all.

Cheng Mofei’s body was shaped like an inverted triangle, his muscles firm and well-defined, radiating youthful energy.

Seeing that Shen Yu was coughing so hard that his face turned bright red, Cheng Mofei, with a concerned expression, asked, "Are you okay?"

Shen Yu, still coughing, shook his head and lowered his eyelashes, hoping not to give anything away.

But of course, Cheng Mofei didn’t leave right away. Instead, he kindly patted Shen Yu on the back.

The warmth of Cheng Mofei’s palm felt like it was burning into Shen Yu’s skin, making his heartbeat speed up a little more.

…He really knew how to make someone's heart race.

Meanwhile, Sun Xinghe had finished his phone call with his girlfriend and walked in.

He glanced over in their direction but was already used to it by now.

It was hot and humid in the summer, and after a shower, it wasn’t comfortable to put clothes on immediately, so some guys preferred to cool off for a bit before getting dressed. It was completely normal.

In fact, Sun Xinghe teased, "Brother Fei I haven’t seen you for a whole summer and you've been secretly working out behind our backs."

Cheng Mofei laughed and replied, "Not at all."

Xiao Xiong, who had just finished a game and was waiting for the next match, looked over after hearing the conversation and said, "Let me feel, let me feel."

Cheng Mofei casually allowed Xiao Xiong to feel his muscles.

Xiao Xiong squeezed his forearm, then patted his abs, and grumbled, "I’m starting my diet tomorrow."

Sun Xinghe also gave it a casual pat, sighing, "If I were a girl, I probably wouldn't be able to resist someone like Brother Fei."

Xiao Xiong patted Cheng Mofei’s abs again. "If I were a girl, I’d be able to lose 30 pounds for Brother Fei."

Cheng Mofei swatted his chubby hand away, annoyed. "Stop making excuses for not dieting."

Meanwhile, Shen Yu, who was sitting quietly to the side, had gone completely still, looking like a petrified little hamster. He had even forgotten to continue coughing.

You straight men...

And you, Cheng Mofei, closet case...

You...

When Shen Yu stopped coughing, Cheng Mofei shifted his steps and looked over at him, the lingering amusement still in his eyes. 

Without missing a beat, he casually said, "Xiao Shen, do you want to touch it?"

Previous TOC Next